We must be mindful of downtown Athens' economic future

Posted: Friday, October 26, 2001

For a commercial business district to achieve success it must be able to attract customers throughout the day and night. This requires a delicate balance of office, retail, restaurant and entertainment businesses.

If a commercial district is lopsided toward retail and office, it will be teeming with people during the day and then lifeless at night. But if restaurant and entertainment businesses dominate the scene, an area will often be bustling at night and quiet during the day. In either scenario, the business district isn't taking advantage of its full potential. And, if the balance is shifted too far off kilter, the commercial area risks failing.

For decades, downtown Athens has sought to achieve this balance. While the tide of businesses has shifted at times, recently the downtown area seemed to have reached a middle ground. When business licenses were renewed in January, there were 73 retail, 45 restaurants and 30 clubs and bars in the downtown area.

Then, in August, things suddenly changed when one of downtown's largest clothing stores and an anchor for all the surrounding retailers decided to close shop. After a decade on Clayton Street, The Gap decided to focus all of its local attention on its Georgia Square Mall store, which opened in 1999.

The departure left a retail void downtown that many assumed would be quickly filled. However, a sagging national economy left many of the large chain retailers uninterested in new expansions. And, at 6,000 square feet, the storefront space was too large for most independent and local businesses. After several months of searching for another retailer, the building's owners decided to explore other kinds of businesses and soon found a taker.

On Wednesday, the Athens-Banner Herald confirmed that a local businesswoman has signed an agreement for the former Gap location and plans to turn it into a frozen drink bar.

Sandra Gardner, owner of Athens downtown strip club Toppers International Showbar, said she wants to open a New Orleans-themed bar featuring frozen daiquiri-style drinks. Gardner's family also owns and operates Jersey's Sports Bar & Grill and the Insomnia dance club.

Whenever a new bar opens in downtown Athens there are always complaints that the last thing the city needs is another watering hole. This case has been no different. People are already grumbling. However, it would be naive to compare this to the typical scenario of a new bar moving into a vacant space or replacing an unsuccessful peer. The fact that this bar is moving into what had been downtown Athens' largest retail space makes this situation unique. It also threatens to irrevocably shift the balance of business in downtown Athens from daytime to night.

Government officials and retail business owners downtown are rightfully worried. Many retailers -- especially those in that section of the Clayton Street -- depended on The Gap to help draw customers to the area. With that magnet gone, some businesses could suffer because of a reduction in daytime foot traffic along the corridor. Retailers also worry that the inevitable trash and smell that go along with a bar will hurt their business.

''It's been a delicate balance between retail, restaurants and bars and this has tipped the balance away from retail. We want the nightlife, but we need the daylife too. We need the retail to keep us a viable business district,'' said Art Jackson, executive director of the Athens-Clarke Downtown Development Authority. ''Probably the loss of The Gap has been a tremendous wake-up call (about the future of downtown Athens).''

We believe it's time for business groups and the county government to take a serious look at what can be done to preserve a solid mix of businesses downtown. Everything from stepping up recruitment efforts to regulating the number of licenses allowed for each type of business should be discussed. The entire community has a vested interest in seeing downtown Athens succeed. It's one of the county's economic and cultural engines. Hence, these discussions need to begin now instead of waiting until downtown Athens tilts even further away from retail business.